I feel fortunate to help high-calibre professionals develop their communication skills in public. Many of them have extraordinary professional and personal backgrounds and the life lessons I have learned by working with them over the years are priceless. More… »I have an accent! 7 ideas to consider to get your point across.
Last week, I witnessed somebody skidding off the road! A presenter inadvertently defied a rule that every seasoned speaker has known for a long time. Unfortunately, what was supposed to happen, happened. The presenter froze in front of her team and could not restart. The cause of the accident? She had memorized her presentation word-for-word! Sometimes you just have to experience it for yourself. Here are the symptoms, causes and remedies: More… »Why memorizing your presentation could be perilous... and tips to avoid the worst.
Of course, we've all heard of the professional athletes who refuse to shave their beards before the playoffs are over or put on their lucky socks before the championship game. Performing artists also have their little obsessions to ward off fate before entering the stage. And even if there is no scientific and logical evidence for superstitions, could there be lessons to be learned from the habits of these professionals before your next presentation? Here are 5 ideas to incorporate into your preparation. More… »Public Speaking-Are You Superstitious? 5 ideas to try.
You've probably noticed that some speakers can't help but season their speech with um, uh, and words like like, honestly, uh good, and uh good, and other filler words. If you're that host or speaker who relies a little too often on those crutches, the consequences on your performance are more significant than you think. More… »How to get rid of those dreaded fillers when we speak.
Comment ne pas idéaliser l’abnégation de ces athlètes olympiques, qui travaillent sans relâche pendant quatre ans pour offrir, au monde entier, une performance qui repoussera les limites physiques du corps humain. Si leur capacité de dépassement de soi est un idéal à suivre pour plusieurs d’entre nous, ce n’est pas… More… »Communicating in public is a sport!
One of my very wise mentors once joked that there are only three types of business presentations: the first type is the presentation you have imagined and put together; the second type is the presentation you delivered before an audience; and finally, the third type of presentation is the presentation you deliver behind the wheel of your car on the way back to the office! Although this witticism may make us smile, it describes a reality that is very specific to communication. There are often differences between what you wanted to communicate and what your listeners heard and remembered. Would it not, however, be in our best interest to have these three presentations align more exactly? Here are three ideas to make sure the message you've composed is the one that's heard and understood. More… »The 3 key business presentations.
It is difficult for me to understand why some professionals invariably arrive at the last minute before their presentation time. Isn't it a perfectly avoidable stressor? There are only advantages to arriving early before your presentation, here are my eight reasons:
When it comes to presentations or public speaking, perception is more important than what you believe to be reality. There is quite a gap between what you think you're giving off and the impression you've left on your audience, and of course, what really matters is what your listeners perceived. Why is it useful to make this distinction? Other people's perceptions probably work in your favor more than you think, and here's how! More… »The perception and reality of presenting in public.
A question I am often asked, whether during workshops or coaching sessions with professionals, is about memorizing a presentation. "Do you have to memorize your whole presentation?" My answer is, more often than not, "Please don’t, not the whole presentation!" Even if you managed to memorize all your text, here are some of the pitfalls that lie ahead for you should you convince yourself to make the unnecessary effort to recite from memory: More… »Business and technical presentations: The only parts you should memorize.
In the last few days, I have had to deal with a phenomenal amount of information and details to insert (by force!) into two speeches or presentations in front of an audience. It was a tall order. The aim was to ensure that the messages to be communicated were clear and memorable without getting lost in the minutiae and losing the narrative of the presentation. Writing a script or composing slides without a solid framework would have been perilous because I could be at risk of forgetting key details and I would need a lot of time to rewrite. This is where we need another tool to control the large amount of information: heuristic diagrams or Mindmapping. Rather than lists and text presented in a linear fashion, all information is presented in the form of a diagram that mimics how the human brain works. More… »Why and how to use Mindmapping to write your next presentation.
Hand gestures are just as important, and sometimes even more so, than any words you use to convey messages to an audience. Many participants in our training workshops in business or scientific presentations and our candidates in individual coaching tell us that they do not always know what to do with their hands. You are neither the only ones nor the first to struggle with this. Here are the most common mistakes. More… »Business presentation skills: I don't know what to do with my hands!
Executive Storytelling is said to be a model of organization or message construction that helps speakers and presenters keep their audience's attention and deliver more memorable presentations. In addition, this way of organizing the content of the presentation promotes the understanding of more complex ideas and data through context, relevance to the audience, and a structure that is easier for the human brain to assimilate. According to neuroscience studies, humans can retain stories more easily than data, so using a narrative improves retention, More… »A primer for professionals who want to use Executive Storytelling
I was recently at a wedding reception where speeches from friends and family preceded a very hearty meal. It's impossible for me not to listen to a speech or a presentation without my professional training and my ears as a strategic communication coach interfering a little! This is also the same person who was able to keep the thread of her ideas even though she spoke with great emotion in her voice and was interrupted many times by members of his audience. So, why was she successful? More… »Successful public speaking: The Executive Storytelling model
We have been talking about presence and executive presence for many years. Much like leadership or charisma, it is easy to acknowledge its presence or lack thereof, but more difficult to provide a definition on which all could agree. Why executive presence now? Is this still topical? Maybe more than ever. In a context of talent shortage and succession planning, let us remember the old adage: All the important decisions about you will be made when you’re not in the room. More… »Executive presence, trust, probity and impact.
Nothing seems to be working, your presentations never finish on time. Let's look at some of the causes and suggest a powerful fix: More… »I ran out of time. Strategies for presenters who finish late.
Vous avez sans doute entendu parler de se limiter à trois phrases ou énoncés pour le résumé de votre présentation. Mais pourquoi trois? Deux idées et l’auditoire reste sur sa faim. Quatre ou cinq idées et il semble que le conférencier amorce une autre allocution en abusant de la patience… More… »The three-point summary. So why three?
Last week, I reviewed several PowerPoint presentations developed by a new client. Each one of these presentations had a slide titled "Questions or Q&A?" Here is a pro tip: Instead of showing a slide titled "Questions?" (Which frankly serves no purpose as you made a prior announcement that there would be a Q&A at the end of your presentation and that you asked for questions after presenting your recommendations), show the slide More… »Could we please do away with the Q&A slide?
Why would your audience do what you propose? How can you tip the scales your way? Does the solution, recommendation, or product you present gives them a set of benefits that they are not currently enjoying or does More… »Convince your audience... with benefits.
Last week, I witnessed somebody skidding off the road! A presenter inadvertently defied a rule that every seasoned speaker has known for a long time. Unfortunately, what was supposed to happen, happened. The presenter froze in front of her team and could not restart. The cause of the accident? She had memorized her presentation word-for-word! Sometimes you just have to experience it for yourself. Here are the symptoms, causes and remedies: More… »Why memorizing your presentation could be perilous... and tips to avoid the worst.
I was attending a professional development virtual meeting of professional and experienced presenters this morning, when the following questions was put forward to the participants: How do you prepare when you are asked to present internally or externally on a topic that you know using visual content that is new to you and given very little time to prepare? Many professionals have had and still must contend with this challenge. Here are 5 ideas which may help you increase your odds of delivering a great presentation. More… »So many slides, so little time. 5 tips to make your preparation more successful.
However tempting it is to start building your next presentation narratively from the beginning of the story, after all, this is what everybody is doing, I would challenge you to try starting with the end in mind. Should you choose to start from the end, you will find it easier to write up your content, save a lot of time and be assured that you will ace the conclusion. Here is how to do this: More… »Start with the end in mind
Why would your audience do what you propose? If the cost of the status quo seems less than the cost of what you propose, it is quite unlikely that they would change their ways. Your listeners will consider a change if the solution, recommendation, or product you present offers benefits that will help them solve a problem or eliminate an irritant. What are these benefits? More… »Convince your audience with benefits
I recently asked a client to describe their role within their organization. The answer struck me as a somewhat confused long exposé to justify the necessity of his position. It seemed to me that he was trying to convince himself. For my part, far from convincing me, the presentation left me with a lingering doubt. Did he really understand his role on his team? Here are the reasons to be more concise as well as a checklist of five strategies for trimming down presentations that are a little too generous. More… »Leaders take to the stage: Conciseness, clarity and efficiency.
Have you ever attended a presentation that didn't have a final conclusion? Either that the presentation ended abruptly due to lack of time: the speaker could not complete his or her speech in the allotted time. It is also possible that a spontaneous and lively question period just erupted before the conclusion: the listeners felt a void and this space quickly filled. In any case, you probably felt like something was missing. More… »The presentation that seems to never end. Tell them that you will conclude.
When you present in front of an audience to sell your products, services, or solutions, it takes much more than asking for the attention and benevolence of your listeners: you have to ask them for their commitment and their money otherwise you have wasted your time and theirs! You need to know how to deliver a pitch that is captivating, convincing and persuasive to reach an agreement on the spot. Here are three key ideas to consider for your next sales presentation or pitch:
Following your virtual or live presentation, hands go up in the room. Most of the questions will be about additional information that you will easily provide; some will have a higher degree of difficulty and others will be even more difficult or even embarrassing to answer. Here are some ideas to consider about your Q&A management strategy, as many of your listeners will see this as a test of your knowledge of the subject, your integrity, and your leadership skills.
You cannot go wrong with this 4-step recipe. It is tried and true. If you want to know why master of ceremonies will sometimes miss the mark, please read Introducing speakers. 3 reasons why this did not go as planned. More… »Introducing a guest or speaker like a pro. The magic recipe.
You are speaking at a meeting or convention. We inform you that a person has been assigned to introduce you. What are some of the possible pitfalls? An introduction is like a launch ramp that propels you quickly and unequivocally into the heart of the matter. If the ramp is not solid, you will need to do some major course correction early! More… »Introducing speakers. 3 reasons why this did not go as planned.
Do you get the jitters when you speak in public and present in front of an audience? Don't worry, it's perfectly normal. You share this physiological phenomenon with most human beings on this planet! Professional speakers, politicians, experienced facilitators, renowned artists have stage fright like you. More… »Nervous when speaking in public? 8 ideas you’ve heard before that really don’t work.